Construction Industry Enjoys Continued Increase in Employment

Construction employment levels increased for the ninth month in a row in November, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The addition of 10,000 jobs brought November's construction employment level up to 6,856,000, which is just below the March 2001 record of 6,860,000. The construction industry has added 156,000 jobs since February 2003, and all three of the construction subgroups showed job gains. The largest gain occurred in the specialty trade contractors sector, which experienced a 2.3% gain in employment over the last year. The BLS also reported a 1% increase in employment for the construction of buildings and a 0.1% increase for heavy and civil engineering construction during that same time period. The charts at right and below show the change in employment levels for the three construction subgroups during 2003.